Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope system which observes an object to be treated.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an endoscope system has been used for observing and treating an object to be treated in a body cavity, or the like. As this type of the endoscope system, for example, a system described in PCT International Publication No. 2012/014532 WO is known.
The endoscope system disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes an endoscope which images an object to be treated, a control unit which is detachably connected to the endoscope, and a monitor which is connected to the control unit to display the object to be treated which is imaged by the endoscope.
The endoscope has an elongated insertion part which has flexibility, and an operation part provided at a proximal end portion of the insertion part. From a distal side toward the proximal side, the insertion part has a rigid part, a bending part, and a flexible tube part.
At the rigid part, an imaging surface of an imaging unit (observation part) and a distal end opening part of a treatment instrument insertion channel (an instrument channel) are provided.
From the rigid part toward the flexible tube part, the bending part has a first bending part, a second bending part, and a third bending part. For example, the first bending part is bent vertically and horizontally. The second bending part is vertically bent, and the third bending part is horizontally bent.
At an operation part main body included in the operation part, a first bending operation part which operates the first bending part to be bent is provided. At the operation part main body, a second bending operation part which operates the second bending part to be bent is provided.
A first bending operation mechanism having, for example, a pulley, is connected to the first bending operation part, and a second bending operation mechanism having, for example, a pulley, is connected to the second bending operation part.
At the operation part main body, a third bending operation part which operates the third bending part to be bent, a driving part having a driving force for electrically bending the third bending part in a horizontal direction and provided at the operation part main body, and a third bending operation mechanism in the horizontal direction to which the driving force of the driving part is transmitted are provided. The driving part is, for example, a motor.
The control unit has a bending angle calculation part which calculates a bending angle of the first bending part to the third bending part and a control part which controls the driving part according to a calculation result calculated by the bending angle calculation part so that the distal end portion of the insertion part comes closer to a target point (an object to be treated) due to the bending of the third bending part.
When a control operation part included in the operation part main body is operated, the control part sets a point which is, for example, spaced a desired distance from the imaging surface of the imaging unit toward an inside of a body cavity as a target point. Here, the control part calculates a position of the target point.
In addition, when the third bending part is bent, the control part determines, according to the calculation result (bending angle) calculated by the bending angle calculation part, whether the target point is disposed within a captured image (imaged viewing angle) imaged by the imaging surface.
When the target point is disposed within the captured image, the control part controls the driving part according to the calculation result calculated by the bending angle calculation part so that the distal end portion of the insertion part comes closer to the target point due to the bending of the third bending part.
By controlling the target point to continuously be positioned within the captured image, the target point is continuously displayed on the monitor, and an operator may easily operate the endoscope system.